Street-indicating device for street-cars.



Patented Sept. 26,1899. 8. SflUlBE &. A. KNOWLES.

STREET INDICATING DEVICE FOR STREET CABS.

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No. 633,623. Patented Sept. 26,1899.

8. SQUIRE & A. KNOWLES.

STREET INDICAT'ING DEVICE FOR STREET CARS.

(Application filed Dec. 21, 1898.] v (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

/* a d am x NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL SQUIRE, OF \VESTFIELD, AND ARTHUR KNOWLES, OF NElV BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

STREET-INDICATING DEVICE FOR STREET-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 633,623, dated September 26, 1899.7

Application filed December 21,1898. Serial No- 699,957. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, SAMUEL SQUIRE, residing at lVestfield, in the county.of Hampden, and ARTHUR KNOWLES, residing at New Bedford, in the county of Bristol, State of Massachusetts, citizens of the United States of America, have invented new and useful Improvements in Street-Indicating Devices for Street-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electrically-operated street-indicating annunciators, and particularly to a device of this class to be used in public vehicles for announcing the successive streets or localities passed or traversed by said vehicle, the object of the invention being to produce an electrically-operated annunciator for electric or other cars which may by the manipulation of a push-button be made to indicate streets and localities past which or through which the 'car will next pass, a further object being to so construct a device for the above purpose whereby it can by simple means be controlled so that it can be operated from either end of the car, but from only one end at the same time.

The invention consists in the construction as fully set forth in the following specification, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a street-indicating device constructed according to our invention, a part of the casing thereof being broken away to show the interior construct-ion. Fig. 2 is an end elevation with the end of the case re moved, illustrating parts of the platforms of a car and push-buttons thereon, a source of electricity, and electrical connections connecting the annunciator with said source and said buttons. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of parts of the device shown in Fig. 2 and hereinafter described and in which the positions of the electromagnets are indicated in dotted lines.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the rear side of the indicator-case \V, and G portions of the end platforms of a car.

W indicates a portion of the indicator-case extending from the rear side A, having a suitable opening therein, as sh own in Fig. 1,

through which the name or other indication of a street is visible.

The names of the streets to be indicated are applied to a strip T, of cloth or other suitable material, and the latter is carried on two cylinders J as shown in Fig. 2 and elsewhere, each supported on a rotatable shaft "m by three frame-straps L L L, (one of which is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1,) which are suitably supported on the inner side of said case W. Each of said shafts at has on one end thereof a gear 8, and intermediate of said two lastnamed shafts and also supported for rotation on two of said straps is a shaft a. Said shafts m m and n have the interengaging gears s fixed thereon, and on said shaft a is fixed a ratchet-wheel 0. The rotation of said ratchetwheel and its shaft 71 and said gears s thereon in opposite directions, as below set forth, so rotates said cylinders J that said sign-strip T is wound from one cylinder on to the other, and vice versa, whereby the street indicating names or figures are displayed, as shown in Fig. 1. Means are provided for intermittently rotating said cylinders J J, whereby said street-indications are one after the other brought to view in a car,which are constructed and operated as follows: A base-plate 13, secured against one wall of said indicator-case W by screws j, passing through slots in said plate, is movable on said case by grasping the finger-piece 7c and sliding said plate up or down, said screws frictionally holding the same in an upward position when the plate is so placed. Two electromagnets K are fixed in said case W in the positions shown relative to said base-plate B, and conducting-wires so as, leading from said magnets and connected with the line-wires z .2, which, in case the car is electrically propelled, provide the requisite motor power for the operation of theannunciator-magnets. In case the caris otherwise propelled a battery H may serve as a source of electric energy for the purpose set forth. Push-buttons V are located on one or both platforms G of the car, and through suitable connections between the contact-stop a, the button and its guide, and said line-wires z z and conducting-wires 00 0c, and by pressing said button the desired magnet is energized.

The spring 0 returns said button upwardly after the latter has been pressed down, as aforesaid. On said base-plate Bare two like groups of devices, each acting in consonance with one only of said magnets to cause the partial rotation of said ratchet'carrying shaft or in one direction, and consequently to rotate said cylinders J sufiiciently only to change the street indication carried on said strip T, whereby it will be brought to view through said opening in-the front of the case W', and each of said groups comprises the belownamed elements: a vibratory lever C, pivoted by one end at 2 to said base-plate B, having an armature D thereon subject to the electrical influence of one of said magnets; a pawl E, pivoted on the free end of said lever C and having an arm thereon engaging a stop-pin h on said base-plate, whereby the swing of said pawl toward said ratchet-wheel is limited; a retracting-spring i, acting to swing said lever and pawl from said ratchet-wheel 0, and a spring f, acting to move the ratchet-engaging extremity of said pawl against said ratchet-wheel. By the above-mentioned slidin g movement of said base the said pawls may either of them be brought to position to engage said ratchet-wheel, as aforesaid.

The operation of this annunciator is as follows: On approaching a street crossing that upon which the car is moving either the motorman or other person thereon presses the buttons V at the right in Fig. 2, thus forming an electric connection which will result in actuating the lower lever C in Fig. 2 to bring that and the pawl thereon to the positions shown in Fig. 2, whereby the strip T of cloth has been actuated for a change of indication. Upon the arrival of the car at the end of its route and before returning the baseplate 13 is slid downwardly by grasping the finger-piece 7r, bringing the armature D on the upper lever O opposite the core of the upper magnet. Thus adjusted, the upper group of said devices becomes active upon pressing the button V at the left in Fig. 2 to cause the upper pawl in said figure to act upon the upper edge of said ratchet-wheel, thereby reversing the indicating movements of said strip T, whereby the streets which shall be passed shall be announced in the requisite reverse order.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a street-indicating device for streetcars, a strip of material having thereon letters, numerals, or other signs indicating a street to be passed, rotatable drums or cylinders on which said strip is carried, a source of electricity, two electromagnets, two pushbuttons, conductingwires connecting said source, magnets, and buttons, a shaft carrying thereon a ratchet-wheel gear connected with the shafts of said cylinders, two pawls for alternate engagement with said ratchetwheel, a pivoted lever supporting each of said pawls having an armature D, and the pawl engaging pin h, thereon, and the pawl-actuating springsf and 'i, and a movable base 13, on which said pawls are supported, whereby the latter are brought to positions for alternate action upon said ratchet-wheel, substantially as described.

2. In a street-indicating device for streetcars, a movable base, two pawl-carrying levers hung for vibratory movements on said base, a pawl pivotally hung on each of said levers and spring-actuated for swinging in one direction, combined with an electromagnet fixed opposite each of said levers, a source of electricity, a circuit-connecting button, and conducting-wires forming an electric circuit in which are included said source, magnets, and button, a shaft having a ratchetwheel thereon with which said pawls alternately engage, two cylinders gear-connected with said shaft, and a strip of material having thereon letters, numerals, or other streetindicating devices wound on said cylinders, substantially as described.

In a street-indicating device for streetcars, a strip of material carrying thereon letters, numerals, or other signs indicating a street to be passed, rotatable cylinders upon which said strip is carried, a shaft gear-connected with said cylinders having a ratchetwheel thereon, a movable base, armature-levers hung by one end thereon, pawls pivotally supported in position for engaging alternately and one at a time opposite sides of said ratchet for reversely operating the same, electromagnets for operating said armaturelevers, means for shifting said base whereby only one armature-lever may be in operative position, opposite an electromagnet at one time, a source of electricity, a suitable cirouit, and means for opening and closing said circuit for energizing said electromagnets, substantially as described.

SAMUEL SQUIRE. ARTHUR KNOXVLES.

Witnesses:

H. A. CHAPIN, K. I. OLnMoNs. 

